Songwriting sacred to Texas legend Hancock

Wednesday

If only he were still on that tractor, maybe legendary Texas musician Butch Hancock would have a little more time to write.

As a kid growing up in Lubbock, Hancock discovered his songwriting talent while driving a tractor for his dad's land-leveling business.

"I was sitting on that tractor day in, day out for one year almost," Hancock said. "That was a major turning point in my life, to be able to sit and contemplate the universe and write songs about it.

"In second gear, at two-thirds throttle, that was in the key of G," Hancock chuckled. "I started messing around with the gears and the speed, and finally kind of settled into a few grooves to keep from totally destroying all the work I was doing."

It worked out nicely for the musician, who'll perform at 10 p.m. Jan. 2 at Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave., in what may be his first performance in town. Or maybe not. He's not exactly sure.

"It seems like I played there with a band one time, but it may not have happened," Hancock said.

After those days on the tractor, Hancock joined up with a couple of Amarillo natives, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Joe Ely, in 1972 to form The Flatlanders, a seminal group in the development of Texas country.

"They say we've had influence, and perhaps we have. It's hard to say," Hancock said. "I can probably see the influence from Jimmie and Joe better than I can from myself. ... You never know who's listening out there to a song and how deep it's going to resonate with them."

The band disbanded after about a year, launching the trio on successful solo careers. (They still perform together often, including a recent private party in Canadian.)

In 1978, Hancock put out a solo CD, "West Texas Waltzes and Dust-Blown Tractor Tunes," in 1978, the first of 16 solo albums. His next, "Seven Cities of Gold," will be released in 2014 following a Kickstarter campaign that he said he'll announce at his Golden Light show.

These days, his songwriting is inspired "on the fly."

"If I hear a phrase or think of a phrase, if I'm lucky, I can jot it down, and I usually accumulate several bits of writing before I sit down with a guitar," he said. "A lot of it's done in my head, moving around from place to place - walking, driving a car, riding a tour bus, going to eat somewhere, chopping cedar, whatever you get involved with."

And to hear him tell it, songwriting is something of a sacred act.

"The seed of the song is maybe blowing in the wind, and if you keep your mind and heart open, that's a great place for it to start growing," Hancock said. "Songs are just like a little seed. They may sprout. They may be tiny at first, but they have all the potency for being an incredible experience in song."

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